The undateable bachelor
by YoungOne831
Summary: Everyone grows up and almost everyone has had at least some experience in the love department... Yes, even Pronto... Well, okay not quite everyone. Everyone, except the current hero of Slugterra: the young Eli Shane. The problem: he likes to keep it that way. And that is very much unacceptable by numerous of people... *Poll fic*
1. Ch1: Stop the running, Eli!

**The undateable bachelor**

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 _Summary_

 _Everyone grows up and almost everyone has had at least some experience in the love department... Yes, even Pronto... Well, okay not quite everyone. Everyone, except the current hero of Slugterra: the young Eli Shane. The problem: he likes to keep it that way. And that is very much unacceptable by numerous of people..._

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 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own anything that has to do with Slugterra: all hail Nerd Corps Entertainment! The only thing I own is my weird brain and a jar of candies and cookies. Grab some if you like!**

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 **Rating:** This story is most likely to become a slash story. I think that it's safe to say that it will gradually become a **16+ story.**

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 **Warning:** This story is written by me, a weird person who tries to write fan fiction after abandoning fan fiction for over five years… I am hoping that my writing skills do not disappoint you, I am trying to find my spark again. Also this story is probably going to eventually contain some lemons. This is also most likely to become a **slash** **story** , so if you don't like **m/m shipping** then get out safely, while you can.

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 **Updating stories:** I am a busy person, but I have grown more capable of scheduling and planning my daily routines and other tasks. When I have found out how to put writing fan fiction into that schedule, I will probably update more frequently.

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 **Reason:** So, I've decided to write another Slugterra fan fic, because currently, I am highly addicted to this show and its characters, especially Eli Shane. Sorry, but he's a cutie and I've always had a thing for main characters, cause that's my weakness… Wanna kill me? Throw a cute main character at me and I'll probably die instantly…

I love to write silly stuff and I wanted to try something new. So, my aim is to try writing about an Eli who is growing up, but has no idea how to behave like a "normal" (as in the eyes of the people of Slugterra world) human being. With a heavily resisting Eli, who seriously doesn't give a damn about sappy love stories and has no idea what the general idea of flirting is. Actually he is pretty much clueless.

Also, Eli has a severe sunglasses obsession in this fic.

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 **So, I hope you people will enjoy this and if not, I am truly sorry, but I am trying. However, I still wish you all the very best in life and may you all be happy and healthy!**

 **Please let me know what you guys think about it, cause I have so much more prompts that are waiting to be written, yet if no one reads them… Then I might just go *swoosh* and abandon fan fiction again XD.**

 **Always be safe, huggies!**

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 **Chapter one: Stop the running, Eli!**

* * *

It was a sunny day in Slugterra. All was well and all was quiet. No real reason for heroes to overly exhaust themselves with chores. No reason for heroes to call up an army and charge in. No need, cause it was peaceful in Slugterra. For the first time people could simply walk through the streets, order delicious food, shop various necessary or unique products, simply watch a movie or go for a long walk. Everyone was enjoying themselves. Well… almost everyone…

"Eli, come on! You've gotta relax sometime." Kord tried dragging the young Shane back inside, but alas the young man was way too quick.

"Naha Kord, you never know… I mean what if Blakk comes back?"

"Eli, seriously the man is trapped in the deep caverns, he would not get out even if he was to blast himself out of his own blaster!" Trixie sighed, clearly annoyed and helped Kord dragging the boy in.

"But!..."

"No buts, Eli!" The two yelled simultaneously.

"Alright." He sighed in defeat.

"Don't worry, for Pronto will keep you busy with his magnificent new magic show!" The molenoid appeared from upstairs with a long, too long mind you, black cape draped over his shoulders.

"This is a joke, right?" The young Shane asked. Kord and Trixie shook their head in disappointment.

"I'm afraid not, Eli." Groaned the cave troll and slammed a pillow in his own face, trying to shut out the imbecile on the stairs.

For days now, Pronto had been trying to "entertain" the gang. The first time he had pretended to be the best acrobat ever. Then he tried to show his "awesome" slug slinging skills by throwing his blaster in the air and then trying to catch it and blast a slug… Other things he did, included a mini slug circus, an absolute crazy cooking show and even a story teller night, where he somehow managed to scare himself mostly… Needless to say, none of his attempts had been successful and no one from the rest of the Shane gang, including slugs, were ready to go through another round of _Pronto, the absolute by far from magnificent_ , show.

"I can't deal with this." Trixie said as they saw how the molenoid halted midway the stairs to grab his magic wand... It was a wooden spoon…

"Okay, so we all know how this is going to happen, Pronto, so please just stop now, before you hurt yourself, or worse, hurt us." Kord sighed and rubbed his forehead with his hand.

"But Pronto is the very best at magical shows! Let me show you."

"You're gonna trip over your cloak, fall down and probably knock over that vase…" Eli now said, also getting a headache.

"Nonsense Eli, I am Pronto, the magnificent. I am no fool to trip over my own magical clo… _Aaagh!_ " And with that, exactly like the Shane had foretold, the molenoid tripped over his cloak, fell down the stairs and knocked over the vase. Luckily Eli's quick reflexes made him shoot out Spinner who caught the vase in its web.

"Nice job, Spinner." He said, temporarily excited that he had least made a useful shot again after quite some time.

"Now what?" Trixie said as she helped Pronto up.

"What about some sleeping, Pronto feels like sleeping now." Stars were dancing before his eyes.

"Ugh." Trixie face palmed her face and rolled her eyes.

"I know it! What about another round of Robofights. I think I can finally beat you, Trixie!"

The redhead was immediately in her element and hopped onto the couch.

"Bring it, stink troll."

"Oh I will, pigtails."

In all their enthusiasm, they hadn't noticed that their leader had once again escaped the Shane hide out...

* * *

"Glad to be out of there. Geez." He sighed and petted Burpy who had snuggled onto his shoulder. The infurnus slug suddenly jumped up and started protesting, when his owner reached for his mecha.

"I know, Burpy, but I'm bored to death. There must be something we can do, right?" Burpy looked at him, doubt written on his small face.

"So, I guess you're not ready for an adventure then?" Eli asked the slug jokingly.

Within two seconds, Burpy had jumped off his shoulder and onto the mecha, signalling with his tiny arm to leave already.

"Whoa, easy, easy, let me get on first." He laughed and jumped onto LK-E.

He decided to ride to the cavern mall. Already contemplating if he should get another pair of sunglasses. He didn't know why, but they thought they made him look cool. Or perhaps the correct word was mature. He was seventeen now, it had been a full year since the defeat of Tad, Blakk's son. Every time he thought back about it, he felt a chill running down his spine. He couldn't believe they had been fooled…again. Twist being the first one to ever fool them. Breaking his heart in the progress. Eli never thought that betrayal could hurt so much.

And then came Junjie. Luckily he had turned out to be okay, but Junjie wasn't easily reached. He was more of Eli's opposite. Constant calmness and endless patience... Even if Eli did become a lot more mature, he still had that undoubtedly Shane trait of being in constant need of adventure. By the way, Junjie was quite a bit older, not that you could see from his outer looks. Yet, Eli had done his calculations. Thinking about it, the boy realized that he was actually still quite young, considering everyone's age around him.

He shook it off, only to think about the second one to break his heart... Tad... Oh, how he wished he could turn back time and just show the young man what his father had truly done to Slugterra. He knew, that deep down, Tad hated him, just like Twist did because of his father's action. His father, who had rightly acted out the way he did to protect the innocents, never truly saw the reality of some monsters' existence.

Yes, he, Eli Shane, son of Will Shane, showed empathy for his former enemies, including Dr. Blakk himself. And often times, he wondered what would have happened if his father had listened instead of blasting his slugs. Still, the betrayal of Twist and Tad were not easily forgotten and definitely not, and possibly never forgiven...

Burpy nudged him out of his deep thoughts, by jumping up and down on his shoulder. The slug alarmed him that they had arrived at their destination.

"Whoa, thanks buddy, I didn't even notice." Eli parked his mecha and went inside the enormous building. Upon entering various people started cheering. He was _the_ Shane after all.

"Mommy, it's the Shane!" a young kid yelled, excitement clearly visible.

"Easy, Tommy, be polite to the young man."

Eli tried to dodge the hands that were reaching out for him… Maybe that that's where his obsession for sunglasses had come from. Everywhere he'd go, people where trying to hug him or grab him and he just couldn't deal with that. He needed his personal space very much.

So, normally, he would dress up as a complete stranger with sunglasses and all. Yet, due to the late events at the Shane hide out, he had been in hurry. Not wanting to be "grounded" again. He called it grounded, cause that was what it started to feel like. His friends were deeply concerned for him. He knew that they meant well, but being seventeen meant being close to adulthood and he could not bear the over motherly behaviour of his friends anymore sometimes. He just wanted to be free, explore the world on his own, have the peace and quiet to himself, to discover all that was Slugterra and all that was him. No, he didn't have an identity crisis, well at least, not yet. However, growing up made him feel weird, Slugterra was different in many ways from the surface, but the one thing Eli couldn't understand was…

* * *

"Eli!"

"Oh Floppers, please no." he squeaked.

"Mhmm, what was that?" Jordan, a twenty something rookie slugslinger, lay his hand over the young Shane's shoulder.

"Oh, erm, nothing..." the poor boy smiled weakly.

You sure? I mean if there's anything I can do to _help_ you, than I'm more than game, you know." the obvious real meaning behind the helping part did go completely unnoticed past Eli's head. Yet the sudden close proximity of his face, alarmed him immediately.

"So, _Eli_ , how is it in love's paradise?" Jordan then suggestively asked, making the young Shane visibly gulp.

…

And there you have it, the major problem… Somehow people from Slugterra found it strange and unusual for him to still not show any interest in dating someone. He thought the surface had shown him everything about weird expectations, but in here _oh boy_.

People from Slugterra found it absolutely abnormal to be single after the age of sixteen. Which was weird since Trixie, Kord and Pronto were all still single… Okay, Pronto was perhaps a different league… Yet, it just didn't add up. Why were people so focused on _him_ getting into a relationship?! Hadn't he done enough for them?!

"Hey, Eli, I know you are somewhere in there. Or are you playing with me, cause I _love_ games." Jordan, now holding him with both his hands, at his hips mind you; gazed longingly at him.

The young Shane blushed deeply when he realized where Jordan's hands actually were and on impulse he wiggled himself loose.

"Whoa, excuse me, I, … I have to go." And with that he stormed away, ignoring all the stares he received.

* * *

"Maybe, that this wasn't such a good idea, Burpy."

The infurnus slug gave him a sad smile. Burpy knew how much Eli hated all the attention. At the beginning of his slug slinging career that had been totally different. But now, after all he had been through, after maturing slow but steady, he had been more distant, shy even. And people only made it worse with their high expectations of the young Shane.

"Shane!" Ruby this time. She was a nice looking girl and to be honest a decent slug slinger, but date material? Hell no.

"Uh hi, Ruby… Sorry, but I really have to go. Err. Sorry, bye." He didn't know how hard he had to run, but he just wanted to get out of the place as soon as possible.

After a good ten minutes of making his way through the Shane worshiping crowd, he had arrived at his destination.

"Sunglasses, yes!" Burpy laughed at him.

"Oh come on, as if you don't want another pair. You know we look cool in them."

At that the slug merrily nodded.

Eli entered the shop, eyeing his surroundings nervously. He really didn't want any of the Shane fans to appear now. And they were usually everywhere. Fortunately for him they were nowhere to be seen and finally he could relax and enjoy himself a little. Quickly he scanned the shop for new and awesome looking sunglasses. In the corner he spotted a cool looking light blue pair and Eli was in love.

"Can you marry a pair of sunglasses, cause wow!" he exclaimed and put the sunglasses on.

"So, what do you think?" he asked Burpy.

 _"I think they suit you very well, Eli. It's a match with your hair."_

Every single muscle in his entire body locked up, his heart felt like it had jumped out of his body and the hairs on his neck and arms all stood straight up. _He knew that voice_ …

* * *

 _"Twist?"_ It came out like a whisper. Eli turned around, glasses still on and stared directly in the face of the Shane gang's first traitor.

"Yes, that's still my name. Glad you still have a working brain." The blond sassily replied, crossing his arms in the progress.

It took the young Shane a couple of seconds to realize what was happening, what had happened.

Hastily he put back the glasses, not wanting anything to wear that reminded him of the utter douche that was Twist.

"Not going to buy them? And here I thought you were planning to marry them…"

Eli knew that he had to get out of there as quick as possible. Otherwise he might just start a fight and starting a fight in the middle of a shopping mall, where everyone knew him and could see him, wasn't such a good idea. He took a deep breath and walked out of the store…

"Burpy, let's go home." He said.

Burpy, being the intelligent slug he was, immediately noticed how stressed out his owner suddenly seemed and he warned the other slugs to get ready to defend their owner in case of emergency.

"Oh, it's Eli Shane!"

"No, _no, no, no_ …" Eli spoke in soft mantra. He was getting real tired of the bullshit.

"Autograph please? For my son, he's a big fan. I'm too."

"I'm a bigger fan!"

"You're so cool, mister Shane, I want to be just like you when I grow up!"

"You're my number one hero, Eli!"

Hands were grabbing at him, pictures were being shoved into his face, the demands of an autograph were endless and some even dared to fully drag him over to their place and force him into an awkward photo session…

Burpy suddenly lighted up and burned someone's hand. Clearly stating that people had to back away from his owner.

"Wow, your infurnus is so cool!" Normally Eli and his slugs loved children, but today was different. Today, Eli had had enough, had become paranoid and his slugs defended him to the bone, growling and snapping at everyone getting too close.

Suddenly Eli felt himself being pulled out of the horde of people. When the young Shane turned around he found himself looking, once again, in the face of Twist, who started to get this deep and dark stare Eli only had him seen wearing around him...

"A little lost, Eli?" the taller and tan boy asked, giving him an almost deviously grin.

Eli responded… but not in the way his slugs had expected. Burpy, who already had climbed into the blaster, shrieked even at what his owner did...

* * *

With lightning speed Eli had giving Twist a harsh and loud smack with his flat hand. The sound had echoed through the suddenly quiet mall.

No one dared to make a sound and the young Shane actually looked shocked of himself. It had been a reflex after all.

Twist dropped his arm off him and reached for his by now angry red cheek. The force of the blow had left the fingerprints on his flesh and the older boy stared in absolute disbelief at his rival. His rival whose eyes appeared to get wet from the tears that were threatening to slip out.

"Eli?" His voice sounded a lot softer now.

Eli slowly stepped backwards, still in shock of all that had happened. He had to get out of here, now. Once again, he turned around, but was this time faced by the enormous crowd. Eli felt himself panicking. His breathing becoming irregular, his eyes widening with shock and his cheeks reddening from shame. Just as he was about to have a mental break down, he heard the voices of his friends.

"Eli!" Trixie ran to their leader.

"Eli, what's wrong?" she asked him.

"I wanna go home." He whispered, more to himself then her.

"Okay, ...then let's go home." She said, while putting her hand on his shoulder as if to guide him.

"No, I meant back where I came from. Upstairs home…" He meant the surface and Trixie genuinely looked concerned now.

"Eli?" she gasped, not believing her ears. What had just happened that made him feel so unwelcome in their world?

"Maybe, that this is an explanation." Kord had managed to capture Twist, who still was looking a bit dazed.

"Twist!" Trixie shouted angrily.

"What have you done to Eli, you filthy piece of rotten gum!" she demanded and was on her way to strangle him.

"Err Trixie, even though I understand you, we are kind of not alone…" Kord said and pointed to the crowd.

The crowd had been silently eyeing the situation in shock and fascination. They had never seen the young Shane behave that way before. So utterly confused and lost in the world. So sad…

"Fear not, Pronto will talk with them. Pronto is the absolute best at talking with people." Overconfident as ever, the molenoid neared the crowd, but the crowd dispersed. The mall cops had arrived…

"Ah, Eli Shane, good to see you…" Millard Milford halted his movements when he eyed the boy. He looked pale as a ghost, minus the small blush then. And the tears in the corner of the boy's eyes betrayed it to be a slightly different situation than they had been anticipating for.

"You okay, son?" he asked and studied the Shane cautiously.

"I, err… yeah. Yes, I'm fine. Just a bit…tired." Eli lied and hastily wiped away the tears.

"Are you sure, son?"

Eli nodded with a false confidence, bid his farewell to the guards and walked towards the exit...

* * *

"Oh no, you don't." Kord yelled and dropped Twist on the ground. Once outside his friends stopped him.

"Eli, are you sure that you want to return to the surface?" the redhead asked worriedly.

"Return to the surface?! But what about Pronto? Pronto cannot be the very best molenoid if Eli isn't around."

"Bro, are you for real?!" Kord now asked him seriously.

"I…I don't know…"

"But why?"

"Yes why? Was it because Pronto's meals are not tasty enough. Is it Pronto's extra insect legs he likes to hide in the cookie jar?"

"Iel, gross Pronto…" Trixie felt like throwing up and Kord already made the sounds.

"Eli?"

…

"I… just want to be left alone for a while." He quietly said and was on his way to get on his mecha.

"Wait Eli, if you really want to go back, then… we won't stop you. Just know, that we will really miss you." Trixie now said, the hurt clearly written on her face.

"What Trixie said, even if I won't like it, bro." Kord replied, also with a sad frown marring his face.

"Pronto agrees… to _not agree!_ Pronto cannot lose you, Eli!" the molenoid threw himself at Eli's feet, eyes watery and big, hands folded in a silent plea.

The young Shane got onto his mecha.

"I don't want to leave, but… I just want to… have some time to myself and… you guys worry too much. I can't breathe enough, I guess." He admitted and bit the inside of his cheeks to stop focusing on the pain from within.

"You need some space, bro? Is that what you're saying?"

"Yes, space, I need space." He sighed in relief, knowing that at least one of them got the hint.

"Eli, I'm so sorry if you felt like we didn't give you your space. I guess we do worry a bit too much about you, but hey you're our leader." Trixie explained honestly.

"I know, which is exactly the reason why I need my space. I want to be more than just the Shane. I feel like I'm missing out on things in life and while you guys are the most awesome people I've ever met, I just want to… I just want to… Oh whatever."

Yep, now, he _did_ have an identity crisis.

"Well, what if we all promise to keep our distance and let you be? Will you stay then?" the girl suggested, hope shining in her eyes.

"I think I will." Eli smiled softly and dared to look his friends in the eye again.

"Well then, you've got yourself a deal."

"Great! ...Now, what's for dinner? I'm starving." Eli asked jokingly.

And with smiles on their faces and laughter once again in the air, they went back home... Not noticing the pair of eyes, which were watching the young Shane intently as he left...

* * *

 _ **T.b.c.**_

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 **Well, dear people, please let me know what you think! Also I plan on making this a poll fic, letting you decide which lucky bastard is going to end up with Eli.**

 **So, thank you for reading this! I love all of you and wish you the very best in life!**

 **Huggies!**

 _ **Daphne**_


	2. Ch2: An unexpected father figure

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything that has to do with Slugterra: all hail Nerd Corps Entertainment! The only thing I own is my weird brain and a jar of candies and cookies. Grab some if you like! Also have some huggies!

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 **Shout out:** This shout out is for the amazing, absolutely wonderful Corporal_Levi_cleans_my_house! This is a lovely person with a big heart, who writes amazing stories. This lovely human being wrote, in my opinion, absolutely brilliant stories about Eli and Mario Bravado. Also, if you're a big fan of Attack on Titan and ship Levi/Eren... just go to this person's page already on Archive Of Our Own! You will not be disappointed! Thanks again sweetie for being an awesome human being! Huggies!

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 **Open poll:** So, I am going to make this an open poll fic. for who will end up with Eli. Meaning that you lovely people will have to send me your suggestions, cause I want to see what you people are in most need of!

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 **Warning:** This is going to be one hell of an emotional roller coaster! Just a lot of angst and drama due to character growth. Here, have some tissues!

* * *

 ** _Chapter summary:_ **_Eli is getting more and more frustrated with his inexplicable emotions. He's tired of being the way the world has labelled him to be. His friends know there's something seriously wrong with their leader and after overhearing one of the conversations Eli's had with his slugs, Kord confronts him... The outcome makes the Shane gang desperate to find someone able to help the young man to find his inner peace back. But will that person be able to? Read and find out!_

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 **Chapter two: An unexpected father figure.**

* * *

It had been two weeks since the mall incident and yet everything that had happened just didn't want to leave Eli's mind. Every time he tried to shut out all the images, his emotions simply took control and forced him to watch them over and over again. Not even in his sleep was he safe. Actually it was probably worse there. His mind constantly betrayed him, always turning normal dreams into less pleasant or in some others' point of view: extremely pleasant dreams. And when he woke up, he felt distant from his own person, it was like he never had truly known himself. Had never taken the chance to discover what _he_ wanted in life. For over the past two years he had done what everyone expected him to do, had wanted him to do. Now, he wasn't sure if their needs were his needs as well, but he was hungry enough to find out the answer to all of his heavy emotional baggage. He was absolutely done with the extreme feelings nagging in the back of his mind, bringing him down.

However, that morning, he once gain woke up with sweat dripping from his brow and legs uncomfortably tangled in his bed sheets. Where he used to love sleeping on the couch, he now couldn't even be forced to sleep on it anymore. Not after that one particular morning where he had woken up moaning and drenched in his own perspiration and semen. Luckily his slugs hadn't really noticed, at least that was what he hoped. However, it was safe to say that he never wanted to experience that again.

In present time, he lazily and somewhat grumpily shuffled his way to the bathroom. Once there, he wiped the weariness out of his eyes and began undressing. With a disdain look he threw his, once again sticky, boxers in the corner and stepped into the shower. The warm water rinsing every bit of evidence from last night's dream off his body. Gently he scrubbed down his arms and legs. Some of his muscles still slightly hurting after the intense training he did yesterday. He wanted to keep on being fit and was ready to pay the price for it. Eli sighed in bliss the water provided him. This was just what he had needed. Soon he'd began planning the day ahead of him…

After the soothing shower and having brushed his teeth, he slowly put on his Shane uniform and walked to the living room. Here he was greeted with the smell of a fresh breakfast and the smiles of his friends.

"Good morning Eli, slept well?" Kord asked him, before he started to munch on a chicken leg.

"Eh, could be better." He admitted.

"Oh, something wrong?" Trixie asked alerted.

"Err, nope, just… couldn't find a good way to err, lay down?"

"Was that a question or a real reason?" The girl asked suspiciously.

Eli sighed in defeat and sat himself down at the table. "I just get these nightmares from when… You know, when Blakk was still here." He lied and put his head in his hand with a sigh for dramatic emphasis.

"Ah Eli, don't worry, that Ghoul loving freak will never return." Kord slapped him friendly on the shoulder.

"Yes and if he does, he will have to face Pronto, the magnificent, the most dangerous molenoid of all. With his glorious skills, he will defeat all that will challenge the mighty Pronto."

The rest of the Shane gang rolled their eyes, but laughed anyway.

"Well, we all are here for you, Eli. No one is going to destroy Slugterra, not on our watch." Trixie told him and handed him some chicken.

"Thanks guys, I wouldn't know what I would do without you." With a smile he grabbed his food and quickly shoved it inside his mouth. Damn, he was hungry!

* * *

After breakfast, he had played a round of Robot fights with Trixie, helped Kord with the cleaning of their mechas and tidied his room a bit. Then, he had nothing left to do and plopped himself down on the couch, closing his eyes with a small groan.

He was going insane. He had so much adrenaline left and yet somehow he didn't feel like training at all.

"What's wrong with me?" he sighed. Burpy nuzzled his cheek affectionately. The other slugs also joined in, covering Eli's body with a pleasant warmth.

"Thanks guys." He yawned and closed his eyes again. All those feelings made him exhausted and he was glad when he was able to shut his eyes once in a while.

Yet, he was laying on the couch, in public, in the middle of the day… falling asleep could mean that he had to face some severe humility after waking up again and he was by no reason ready for that.

With a small jolt he sat upright on the couch, face slightly contorting with panic.

The slugs who had laid peacefully on his stomach, now jumped in surprise and annoyance. What was wrong with their owner?!

Burpy, who had even fallen off his shoulder, stared at him with worry and made small noises that he directed at Eli.

"Err, sorry guys. I'm a bit err… confused myself too." Eli admitted guiltily and bit his lip in frustration.

His slugs then huddled over and started to ask him all sort of questions, which he of course couldn't understand. Well, he understood some of it.

"I know, I know, but I just don't know what I want… I just don't know what I feel… I'm just lost, okay. But don't worry, I'll find my way back eventually." He softly smiled at his small friends and petted some of them.

Doc then suddenly jumped on his knee, forcing to get Eli's attention. Which worked.

"What's wrong doc?"

Apparently Doc wanted to check if he was hurt and proposed to heal him.

"Oh Doc, I don't think you can heal me. This is… different. This is err, how to explain… I hurt from the inside, okay. You can't fix that, I need to fix myself. But thanks buddy, I know I can always count on you and the rest of you guys." With that he suggested the slugs to go and have some fun.

Every slug went away, finding ways to entertain themselves. Every slug, except Burpy who still didn't want to leave their owner alone.

"Hey, it's okay, Burpy. I just need some time to think some things through. I'll be up for an adventure again, before you know it. Now, go along with Joules, I thinks he has to show you something." Joules was waving mischievously at the infurnus.

After Burpy left his shoulder, Eli silently went back to his room, where he literary let himself fall onto his bed.

* * *

"Ugh." He groaned and grabbed the pillow with both of his hands.

Then, quite unexpectedly, a large hand touched his back carefully.

"Eli?" It, surprisingly, was Kord.

Eli turned around, eyeing the cave troll with a blank face.

"Hey bro, I know you… and this is not you. What's going on, Eli?" he asked, not removing his hand.

Eli, completely thrown from the question, felt his throat constrict and his eyes widen. _What was he supposed to say?!_

"Listen bro, I know that you may not want to talk about it, but I'm seriously worried, seeing you this way, man. Let me help you. That's what friends do, right?"

Eli, who had turned around so he could lay on his back, slowly nodded.

"Good. So, what's going on, bro?"

Eli closed his eyes, energy draining from his body, panic taking place and the eternal blues forcing its way to the front.

"I…" he breathed out with difficulty.

"Yes?" Kord's voice sounded so serene, so loving…. Eli broke.

"I just don't know what's wrong with me! I have this desire to just disappear from the entire universe. Go and do my own thing, even if I don't know what my own thing is. I just, ..I…just… _I. Just. Don't. Know!_ I am lost and afraid and just so, _so_ tired of everyone labeling me as only _the Shane_! Where's the problem in being just Eli? Why can't I be seen as just another human being? _Why?!_ " he ranted and slammed his fist down on his bed, tears manically escaping his eyes.

Then something happened, he would never have guessed to happen. Kord lifted him up and cradled him onto his lap, like he was a new-born baby, not quite ready for the vast, dangerous and mean world outside.

"Shss, it's okay, bro, I got you." The broken boy let his tears freely flow then. Not minding anyone who would see.

"I miss him, I miss him _so much_ , Kord." He was talking about his father, Will Shane. In these sort of situations his father was normally the one to comfort him, telling him that he had nothing to worry about.

"I know, bro, I know."

Eli pitifully sobbed in the shirt of the cave troll, hating his weakened state, hating his own family name.

In the doorway, the other members and slugs had appeared, all having heard Eli's rambunctious screaming. Pronto was for the first time quiet, not knowing what to do. Trixie put her hands on her mouth, too afraid of crying herself. The slugs just stood there, silently weeping or making anxious little squeaks.

* * *

After a good fifteen minutes, the young Shane had somehow fallen asleep. Cheeks still icky from tears and face marred with pain.

Kord gently lay the young man down, his eyes now watery too. All of them left the room quietly, not wanting to disturb their sleeping leader. Once back in the living room, they all sat down, not exactly knowing what had just happened.

"Did you?..." Trixie began, clearing her dry throat.

"No, I didn't know that it was this bad, Trixie." The cave troll sighed.

"What can we do?" Pronto, forever in shock of Eli's outburst didn't even notice himself saying _we_ instead of _the magnificent Pronto_. Nor did the others.

"I don't know man, I mean looking back at it, the kid has been through a lot, hasn't he?"

They nodded at Kord.

"I mean, we've been too, but nothing in comparison to him… Maybe he really needs some professional on this one." Kord muttered and played with his mug.

"I just wish we had found a way yet to bring back his father." Trixie said and crossed her arms over the chair.

Even after a full year, they still hadn't come any closer to bring back Will Shane and they knew that it was only making things more difficult for the already emotionally torn boy.

"If there was only someone whom Eli could talk to about his father, I mean someone who actually _knows_ Will Shane…" Kord murmured.

"Kord, you're a genius!"

"Wait, what about Pronto? Pronto is also a genius, right?" The molenoid jumped up and looked hopefully at the redhead, who completely ignored him.

"Err, why Trixie?"

"Well, didn't Eli once mention that Redhook and his father were basically best friends down here? I think that if we tell him about the situation, he might be willing to help out."

"Redhook?!" Pronto let out a small terrified scream.

"Yeah Trixie, I don't think Eli's in need of an angry screaming paranoid guy, right now." The cave troll stated, half scared of the memories he had about the man.

"Oh come on guys, Redhook isn't that bad, at least _when you're not insulting him…_ '' The last thing was angrily whispered at the molenoid, who quickly hid behind his chair.

"Yeah, but still… I don't know Trixie…"

"I know what you're thinking Kord, but Redhook actually showed a lot of empathy towards Eli last time. I think that we should really give this a shot." She almost pleaded now.

"Well, it isn't like we've got any other options." Kord sighed deeply.

It was decided then. The three of them packed their things, ready for the journey they were about to make.

"Wait, we'll have to leave a note for Eli. We can't let him worry even more."

Trixie quickly scrabbled a memo and left it on the coffee table, knowing that Eli would always look there.

"Okay, I think we're ready to go."

And with that they left to Quiet cavern, all hoping that the man they were about to visit, was going to understand the situation.

* * *

About two hours later Eli found the note on the coffee table. He rubbed his hands over his puffy eyes and gave a confused yet small smile after reading it.

 _Hey Eli,_

 _We're going to see Redhook. Kord was dying to get more information about some new kind of upgrade for our blasters._

 _If you feel like it, you can join us, but only after two hours from the time we left. Kord wanted to surprise you, okay. So don't spoil it._

 _We left around 12:03 pm._

 _See ya,_

 _Trixie and the others_

Eli didn't know what to think. Since when was Kord hiding possible upgrades and since when did they leave without him... Even though he knew that they had probably wanted to let him sleep, he still felt a tad bit left out. Visiting Redhook was one of his favourite things to do. The man had known his father extremely well and often times, when he found himself in the company of the man, they would talk about those past days... He really missed his father. Well, most importantly his father's wisdom and guidance. He had so many different emotions that were bothering him. Not to even mention his sometimes raging hormones. _Damn._ That was probably his biggest problem actually. Eli had no idea how to handle them. One day he felt like spontaneously asking someone out and seconds later he felt like hiding in some unknown bunker where not even the Shadow clan could find him, avoiding all contact in the process. He wasn't really attracted to someone in specific...yet. As a matter of fact he didn't even know what he was attracted to... Well, okay, maybe he was in denial. Those dreams he'd been having lately, certainly did show his preference...

Merely thinking about them, made his body tremble with want and his eyes already half glazed over with dark desire. More and more images were brusquely pushed to the front of his mind...

With a heavy shake of his head he forced himself to put his delirious thoughts at the back of his conscience. He then quickly woke Burpy and the other slugs who all had been fast asleep and gathered his gear. If there truly was a new upgrade, then he was definitely going to be one of the first to try it out...

With a determined grin, he left in hurry on his mecha to see Redhook, with Burpy laying gently snuggled on his shoulder.

* * *

The young Shane arrived at 15:07 pm, parking his mecha just outside, already giddy to test out the new gear. Upon nearing the door, he realized the sudden quietness from the other side and began fearing for an ambush. With his blaster in hand, he kicked the door open, completely ready to strike any opponent.

"Oh my, I see..." Redhook exclaimed, while eyeing the young man peculiarly.

"What? What do you see?!" Eli then asked, slightly panicking.

"Well then, leave this to me. Now shoo!" the man told the rest of the Shane gang, almost kicking them out.

"What is going on? I seriously thought something was wrong for a second! ...Guys? Hey?!"

Before his group could even answer, they were brutally shoved outside the house, leaving their heavily confused and spooked leader with the older man.

Eli quickly turned to Redhook, slight fear and hurt written on his face.

"Lower your weapon, son. I mean you no harm in any way." Redhook calmly spoke, though never taking his eyes of the boy.

Eli, who hadn't even noticed he was still aiming his blaster, gently dropped his blaster, before putting it away entirely.

"So, son, why don't you come and sit down for a while. I can tell from your reaction that a lot is happening in your life right now."

The young Shane could only blink in confusion. Nothing made sense to him and definitely not the older man's behaviour towards him nor his friends. Even if he had probably the best relationship with the man from all people of Slugterra, the way he spoke to him was too kind, too gentle and Eli wondered if he should be suspicious about it.

"Come on lad, I don't bite... Tea or something fresh to drink?"

"Err, I guess..."

"That's not really an answer now, is it?"

"No... Err, the fresh thing, I guess." Eli was blabbering. His words stumbled out of his mouth in an uneven rhythm, barely forming a proper sentence.

"Well, sit down." Redhook now eyed him with a genuinely concerned expression.

The young Shane shuffled his way to sit down, eyes remaining slightly wider than normally. Burpy jumped on the table, looking from the man to his owner and back, before asking with squeaks what what's going on. Redhook smiled at the infurnus, knowing very well that it was extremely protective over his owner.

"Hold it right there, I know you're a smart slug, so go figure what this is all about."

Eli watched the whole scene, his face dead serious.

Suddenly Burpy nodded apprehensively and called out the other slugs, who appeared instantly.

"Hey Burpy, what's going on?" His owner now asked curious, yet still suspicious.

The slug only smiled happily at Redhook, giving him an approving nod, before taking off, with the rest of Eli's arsenal trailing behind him.

"Burpy?!" Eli protested, also trying to get up, only to be pushed back down in his seat by the man.

"You and I need to talk son and your slugs all know it."

The young man, however, refused to listen, his inner panic rising up again. He scanned the room in a hurry, already forming an escape plan, while rising from his chair again.

* * *

"Eli Shane!" Apparently Redhook had been screaming for his attention, yet he had been too focused on the turmoil from within. That actually was bad news. For it meant he could be distracted in battle too.

"Young Shane, I advice you to take a deep breath and put a little bit faith in this old man."

It was then that Eli noticed the way Redhook had approached him. With small steps he had slowly walked his way towards the boy, not wanting to startle him. And with the uttermost care he had soothingly laid his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"I, err. Sorry." With a sigh, Eli sat down again.

A whole quarter had passed before the older man finally spoke, letting the young Shane silently enjoy the sponge cake he had bought to help him relax. He knew that Eli loved food, loved cake.

"So, how you've been the past weeks? I haven't seen you in quite a while." Redhook sipped from his tea.

"Fine." the boy squirmed in his seat. Not really so fine then...

"And you're serious about that."

"No..." Eli almost whispered, avoiding the intent gaze from his father's old friend.

"Well then, young lad, tell me all about it."

"Err, I just..." And then everything made sense and Eli didn't know whether he should be enormously pissed off at his friends or thank them to heaven.

"They arranged this, didn't they? What have they told you so far?"

Redhook lowered his cup and then said: "Well, you did give them a reason to and on top of that they haven't really told me anything. Well, apart from the fact that they are deeply concerned for your well being, of course." And with that he took another sip.

"Ugh." Eli groaned, embarrassment clearly written on his face.

"You should be happy with friends like that, son. Not everyone has someone they can rely on."

Eli knew that it was true, yet the hurt was also inevitable.

"Okay, since I don't see myself getting out of this one..." With a big gulp of fresh air, the young man told Redhook everything he felt, well _almost_ everything...

"So, you just want to find out what _you_ want, but are at the same time afraid of discovering who you are and what you really want?"

Eli nodded shyly.

"And this feeling of not fitting in, how long has it been there and most importantly _when_ did you start to care about it?"

"Well, my whole life actually. It's just that lately, well, since the defeat of Tad, I just don't know what I want anymore. I mean I _know_ I'm a Shane, but why can't I be a _different_ Shane. My father always taught me that catching the bad guys is the most important job as a Shane. Yet, after Twist and Tad and a bunch of other people, I just... I just don't know if _that_ is the most important thing to do."

"Your father always wanted to see the good in others too, Eli, never forget that." Here, Redhook sounded more strict, just not yet scolding.

"I know, I just wonder what would have happened if..."

"If what?"

"If he had tried more, asked more, understood better. I know that what all those people did isn't excusable, yet why didn't anyone try to listen to their story. I _know_ my father did everything he could to stop them and even to talk sense into them, but did he ever _listen_? I know it sounds strange and maybe I should never share this with anyone else, yet I feel responsible for Tad's actions and Twist's too. If someone had showed them the respect and the love like I've always had, then maybe they wouldn't have gone down the road they'd eventually have taken."

* * *

Redhook sat stunned in his chair. He knew Eli cared a lot about everyone and almost always too much, but this was a whole new level of empathy.

"You should never feel guilty for a path that has been chosen with the consciousness of the person who walks it, Eli. Yet, I must admit, I am intrigued by your way of thinking. Slugterra has indeed the knack of being two sided only, while if you take away the inhabitants outer layers, there's always a bit of both to find."

"So, you don't think I'm a complete maniac, who lost his brains?" Eli carefully asked.

"I? Never! You're Will's son, I knew from the very first day you set foot inside my home that you were a good kid. _Now_ , ...you're just becoming a good _man_. I think this has a lot to do with growing up and when you do, you simply get your own opinion of life around you. There's no harm in that, young Shane. The only harm I see, is the excessive pain, whether it be emotional, you're putting yourself through unnecessarily."

It had happened in a blink of an eye. The young Shane couldn't stop it, even if he wanted to. Tears, a complete river flowing down his cheeks non too gently, more like a wild stream.

 _Well, shit_... was Redhook's intern reaction.

"Hey kid, it's okay. Being a Shane can be very stressful. Your father broke down as well. Came in with a bottle of root beer, completely hungover. I had to drag his sleeping form to the couch, remained worried for the rest of the night. Then he woke up, throwing every bit of sorrow and personal terror he had been through out. I've never seen your dad so stressed."

"Really?" Eli sniffed and hastily wiped away the tears.

"Yes, he was, I believe, about twenty then. Young, but mature. I think, just like you, that he never had the time to realize what dangerous life he actually lead. Constantly busy saving everyone around him. Yeah, you're a Shane alright. I think, though, that you, young man, should consider _yourself_ more often. I know that you already told your friends that you needed some time alone, but I don't think that that's enough. Go! Enjoy life, throw a party, learn something new, something you want to learn, go on dates... Err, okay, what did I say that made you literary slide off the chair. It's a sturdy chair, so there must be a good explanation."

"Oh err, just the dating... People have been bothering me a lot lately with questions about my...err _preferences_.." he gulped and struggled to get back on the, indeed, sturdy chair.

"Well son, you just gotta be whoever you are, also if they keep on bothering you kid, let me know... I've got a few ways of my own to help people _understand_..."

Redhook then turned around his hook, showing exactly the hidden strength the man possessed.

"Thank you." For the first time since months, the young Shane finally felt calm again. Glad to have spit out his sorrow and pain, he stood up confidently.

"Hey kid, just take your time. You've done enough for us, now be there for yourself." A short hug was followed.

Burpy and the other slugs came out, with knowing grins on their faces.

"Hey guys, ...thank you for understanding." he told all of the cute little fellows.

Burpy jumped on his shoulder, once again nuzzling his cheek with affection.

"Before you go, Eli, tell the cave troll that I indeed am quite busy making an upgrade for all of your blasters."

"So, it hadn't been a total lie then?"

"Of course not, son. Now shoo, get out, have fun, go get dinner." Redhook pushed him out. Though in his heart, he felt the content of knowing that he was able to help the young Shane and with that thought he had to almost bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from letting a tear slip from his eye.

...

"Redhook... thanks again. I needed that." Eli waved the older man goodbye and dialed the rest of the Shane gang. He was hungry and he needed food, now!

* * *

 _ **T.b.c.**_

* * *

 **Well thank you all for reading this! And reviews are always welcome!**

 **I wish you all the very best in life and hope to have pleased you with this fic. Sorry if I didn't.**

 **Huggies!**

 _ **Daphne, the person who should really go to bed on time...**_


	3. Ch3: The pizza of his dreams

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything that has to do with Slugterra: all hail Nerd Corps Entertainment! The only thing I own is my weird brain and a jar of candies and cookies. Grab some if you like! Also have some huggies!

* * *

 **Open poll:** So, I am going to make this an open poll fic. for who will end up with Eli. Meaning that you lovely people will have to send me your suggestions, cause I want to see what you people are in most need of!

* * *

 **Warning:** This chapter contains slight male/male content, don't like, just don't read, okies.

* * *

 **GIFT:** This chapter is a gift for the amazing _Corporal_Levi_cleans_my_house_ , because this lovely person loves some pizza man and a cute blue haired boy... under certain circumstances. You can find this person on _Archive Of Our Own_

* * *

 _ **Summary Chapter three:** After the much needed conversation between him and Redhook, Eli dials his friends to announce his hunger for some food. After some drama at the tavern where they meet up, they all decide that, considering the time, cooking is not an option. Kord, being the great friend he is, suggests to get some pizza... And of course it is at Ricochet Pizza that Eli has another battle with his annoying raging hormones..._

* * *

 **C** **hapter three: The pizza of his dreams.**

* * *

Inside a small tavern sat the three other members of the Shane Gang, every now and then nervously glancing at the clock in front of them.

"You gonna order some more?"

"Err, sure, just some juice." The only girl said, while checking the time again.

"Coming right up, lassie." The bartender turned around and started to prepare their order.

"How much longer is this going to take?" Kord sighed, toying with his empty bottle of root beer.

"I don't know, Kord, but we've got to give Eli some time."

"Pfft nonsense, Pronto will check if he is in…"

"No Pronto!" The other two almost simultaneously yelled and dragged the molenoid back to his chair.

"But… But Pronto only wants to _help_ Eli." He sounded like a hurt puppy then.

"Ugh, we know Pronto, but _your helping_ is more like _not helping_ at all. Besides Eli _needs_ to be alone with Redhook. He's the only one who knows something about his father."

The Shane Gang lowered their heads.

"Well, why the sad faces? No, wait don't tell me, I can't take emotional stories. Though let me cheer you up." The bartender quickly put down their drinks, having put some cheery and colourful small umbrellas in them too.

"Here, have some on the house. Seems like you are in need of some good news."

They all thanked the bartender and silently drank their juice.

...

Out of the corner two women appeared, slowly walking their way to the Shane Gang.

"Aren't you all from the Shane Gang?" they quietly asked.

"Yes, we are." Kord stated simply.

"Well, we want to thank you for what you did. After all, it is because of you that my son still lives."

"Yes and my husband and daughter too." exclaimed the other woman.

"Oh, and don't forget the fact that we can finally speak on the streets again with a healthy volume."

"No thanks. It's our job." Trixie said, though still slightly blushing from the compliment.

"Well, can we do something in return?" they asked with a clear sincerity.

"Pronto would like to have a good foot massage. His divine feet are… _Ouch!_ " Trixie had whacked him on the head.

"No ladies, as long as your family is fine, then we are fine too." The cave troll kindly spoke.

"Well, if you ever need anything, we… wait a minute where is the young Shane? Is he alright?"

At that question they all sighed heavily.

"Oh dear, he isn't, is he?"

"He's… he's… _calling_?" Trixie suddenly said and quickly answered it.

...

 _"Trixie! How are the others?"_ was Eli's voice, somewhat having regained its usual cheeriness.

"Err fine? Are you okay, Eli?" she asked then, not quite getting his sudden happiness.

 _"I, well, I think so, yes? Never mind, I am hungry as hell…"_

 _Well, that explains a lot._ Trixie then thought, while snickering.

"Listen, Eli, we're at the tavern, we still have our drinks, so come over if you want."

 _"Oh erm, sure… Is it busy?"_

"The tavern? Well, there are some people, but they haven't noticed us, if that's what you're worrying about."

 _"Oh okay, ...coming."_

And with that the connection was cut off...

* * *

"Guys, Eli's heading this way. He sounded… happy… Just act normal please." Trixie told her friends, completely forgetting about the two ladies standing nearby.

"Oh, so he's not ill? Well, that's a relief. I'm Dora by the way."

"Oh, err, pleasure to meet you, I'm Trixie, this is Kord and the crazy molenoid is…"

"Pronto, Pronto the magnificent, at your service, ladies. I reassure you, you have nothing to fear for, when the great and wonderful Pronto is near!"

The two women shared a look of disbelief with the other members of the Shane Gang, before bursting out laughing.

"And he's always like that? Also, the name is Suzy."

"Yup, 24/7, have mercy on us." joked Trixie and joined the laughing.

"But Pronto is a real hero!" the molenoid almost screamed, desperately trying to get attention.

"Yeah, we never said you weren't Pronto." Kord said and hit his back in a friendly manner.

"But, without Pronto, Eli Shane would have been lost forever. Searching his way out of all those nasty caverns, with those scary creatures crawling all over his human face, all by himself with no one to help him. No, Pronto could not let the young Eli die out there, he bravely volunteered to guide and train the young Shane."

...

Pronto, unfortunately, had been just a tad bit too loud, for now many people gathered around the group, already inquiring how they've been...

"This is so cool. You really are the Shane Gang!"

"Thank you heroes of Slugterra, thank you for your bravery!"

"You are the best!"

"Can't wait till I show my friends this pic I just made…Hey wait, where's Eli?"

Dead silence followed for about thirty seconds after the question… Until the door of the tavern was pushed open and the young Shane stepped in cautiously.

...

"Err, …" Eli immediately shut his mouth after eyeing the huge crowd gathered around his friends.

"There he is!" someone yelled and soon many rushed towards the young man.

"Hey Eli, can you sign this photo?"

"Better yet, come here and let's make one together."

Once again, he was brusquely pulled to someone's side, forced into another awkward photo session. And another one, oh and yes... _how surprising_... another one. It even became so wild and dreadful, that Eli's slugs were, half way through the photo sessions, abruptly though unintentionally thrown from his shoulder and out of their bullet homes. Burpy signaled the others to quickly get over to the others of the Shane Gang, narrowly escaping the heavy feet that were stomping around them to get closer to their leader.

...

"Oh no." Kord quietly said, already panicking.

"We've got to do something." Trixie stood up, blaster at the ready.

"Isn't that the infurnus?"Pronto suddenly asked alarmed and pointed to the small army of slugs jumping their way to the gang.

"Oh my... Burpy, are you guys alright?"

Burpy and the other slugs nodded at the girl, but waved their tiny arms in worry at their owner in the distance.

"We've got to stop them, before they squeeze the living out of Eli for good." Kord in pure horror yelled, also grabbing his blaster.

"No, leave this to us." Dora and Suzy quickly said, deeply ashamed of the behaviour of their fellow townsmen.

* * *

However, the atmosphere suddenly grew even much more heavy, when a different kind of question was thrown the young Shane's way...

"So, you still single? I mean that's a bummer... No wait... that's actually good. Well, _good for me_ at least." Jonas Rivers asked, giving the boy an incredulously filthy smile.

"Hey Eli, have my number. You know, when you want to see a _real_ man." another guy suddenly bumped in, pushing Jonas roughly aside with his shoulder.

"Fuck off Dave! Just ignore him Eli, he's a total wanker. _You_ , on the other hand, are quite the cutie." Jonas snapped, before giving Eli a dirty wink.

"Come, come now, _children_ , I bet dear Eli here, has no intention to ever date _you_."

"Yeah, as if you are the gentleman, you claim to be, Roberto" A girl around twenty spit out venomously.

"Oh Penny, I am more than capable of showing, this young Shane the fine art of _true seduction_..." With that the man grabbed the young Shane at the waist, pulling him up close with one smooth tug.

"Wait …what, excuse me?" the poor boy stammered, heartbeat racing to the point where it felt like it was going to jump out of his chest.

"Oh, young Shane, never apologize for looking utterly delicious."

Eli, tomato red and rapidly breathing, felt the man's hand firmly squeeze his behind and almost jumped out of his own skin from sheer terror.

"Unhand him now, you horrible, indecent excuse of a Flopper!" Dora smacked his head with quite some force, looking furiously at Roberto.

Roberto let go of the, by now quivering, young man. However he didn't fully back away yet and huskily whispered in Eli's ears:

 _"Well, at least my dick isn't a Flopper."_

The young Shane visibly gulped at that, eyes still wide from disbelief.

"Leave this tavern now, Roberto!" Suzy now too angrily said, non too gently shoving him away.'

"Easy, easy ladies, just giving sweet Eli here some proper attention."

"Proper, my ass." Penny now snorted, crossing her arms.

"Well anyway, _Eli_ , in case you do want to find yourself in the company of more ... _class_ … Here, call me." And with that the man pushed a piece of paper with his previously written down number, in the boy's front pocket of his trousers, giving him a wink in the process.

* * *

Dora and Suzy then forcefully shoved the man out of the tavern, both with some heavy scowls.

"Anyone else, who can't behave like a rational and decent person?" Suzy asked, well more like threatened, the crowd.

As quick as the mass around Eli had appeared, as quick as it disappeared. Everyone went back to their tables, though never quite really taking their eyes off from the Shane Gang leader.

"Thank you, I wouldn't have known what to do." Eli offered a grateful smile at the two ladies, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

"Oh nonsense sweetie, those people just need to show some more respect! Though, are you okay, young man?" Dora gently laid her hand on his shoulder, softly guiding him to sit at the bar with his friends.

"I guess so. Nothing like I'm not used to these past months…" Eli swore inside his head, cursing everyone who made him feel uncomfortable in public.

"Well, that doesn't make it okay for them to behave that way!" Suzy handed him a cold root beer.

"Oh, no thank you, can't drink on the job." The young Shane refused politely.

"Eli! Seriously, we're not even on the job right now." Trixie scolded him.

"Yeah bro, learn to relax sometime or are we really gonna have this conversation again." Kord sighed.

"Well I… I just don't feel like drinking right now? I mean perhaps later, just not now."

For a few seconds his crew genuinely looked him dead in the eye, checking if the young man was being truthful.

"Okay then, what _do_ you want?"

"Err…" Eli looked at the bartender who already stood at the ready to take his order.

"Maybe just some juice? ...Yeah, juice sounds good right now." He said.

"One juice coming up for the hero Eli Shane." The bartender said joyfully, already whipping out a glass from under the bar table.

* * *

"Soooo…" Trixie began, carefully looking over at the blue haired boy.

"Yes?"

"How was it? I mean how did the conversation go?"

Eli laughed nervously, before answering.

"Alright I guess. I mean, I learned some more about my father and he managed to ease my emotions a bit. Well, good enough for me to feel like going on adventures again… He even promised to kick some butt if it was necessary."

"And _why_ would he do _that_?" Pretty much all of them asked at the same time, eyes wide from sheer wonder.

"Oh well, let's just say that _Roberto_ is very lucky that Redhook wasn't here as well…" the young man chuckled and thanked the bartender for his drink, which was put down in front of him.

"Well, if you ever need any help with giving some absolute dysfunctional morons the message they clearly need, then you may call us too any time you want and need, my dear." Spoke Dora, making Suzy nod intensely while she announced their support.

"Oh, err, thank you, err that's… That's really nice of you. Can we do…?"

"You saved our children, our family, let us do something in return, young man." Smiled Suzy and patted him carefully on the back.

"Thank you, I mean it." Eli, once again slightly blushing, sipped from his drink and waved the ladies a friendly goodbye.

"Well, those were some generous ladies." Kord said, eyeing the women who had by now retreated to their table at the back of the inn.

"Yeah." Was all Trixie could say, before Eli's stomach made some real obscene gurgling noise.

"Ah, you hungry bro?" Kord asked the young Shane.

"Well, I feel like my belly has become a total monster… So yes, can we go and have dinner like as in as soon as possible please? I think I might actually starve if there's no food to be found in my mouth within ten minutes…" he almost dramatically spoke, rubbing his abdomen with a sincere frown marring his face.

"Dude, quit the drama, that's Pronto's thing." Kord poked him in the ribs.

"Yes it is I, Pronto the… _Wait a minute_ … You unworthy fish stinking cave troll!"

Before they knew it, they had fallen back into their routine of quick and hilarious banter with their leaders' stomach protesting its way through all of it with its immense loud and divers sounds it produced.

"I think my stomach is trying to prove something here…" Eli said sheepishly and grinned.

"Yeah, well bro, I think it has its point. You're not the only one who's hungry." Kord said, also feeling his belly starting to grumble in apprehension.

"Well then, let's go."

After paying for their drinks and saying goodbye to some people, they went outside and quickly hopped onto their mechas, totally ready for some good food.

* * *

"So, what do we actually wanna eat?" Trixie asked.

"Well, it's too late to cook anything now…" Eli admitted, not wanting to force the molenoid to overwork himself. It had been a tiring day after all.

"Pronto agrees. Pronto cannot bear any more minutes of hard work. Pronto has dedicated himself to let himself become the very best chef in all of Slugterra, making Pronto's meals the most exquisite food all people want to eat!" The molenoid passionately spoke, while waving its finger in the air like a total snob.

"Eh, Pronto, you know, that's quite the contra…" began Eli, seriously confused.

"Yet, Pronto the magnificent, is on a holiday." And with that he huffed and let his mecha prance around. Not that the donkey looking beast was actually really capable of doing so.

"Mhm, I know what we could eat…" Kord said, already licking his lips.

 _"Oh boy, please tell me it's pizza."_ Eli silently whispered, his mouth already watering at the prospect of it.

"Pizza!" the cave troll then yelled and Eli literary made a small jump on his mecha.

"Whoa bro, you alright?"

"Even better, I mean yeah pizza!" The young Shane grinned.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Trixie sped up her mecha, also severely hungry.

It had taken them around twenty minutes before they could see the famous sign of _Ricochets pizzas_ in the distance. Eli practically launched himself from his mecha and opened the doors with sheer excitement. For a split second he wondered how Mario had been holding up the past months. He hadn't quite seen him that often and he hoped the previous famous trick shooter was still his cheerful self as the first day he'd met him.

...

"Where is he?…" Trixie asked, eyeing the empty place.

"Well, let's sit down shall we?" Kord said, already grabbing the menu.

"Wait, what if something's wrong?" Eli asked and strode to the counter, looking to for any evidence of a burglary or any other complications.

"I'll check in the back, you guys look out for signs of possible things that could have happened at the rest of the place."

"Eli, are you sure he isn't just away for a bit?"

"And leaving the place open? No, I think he has a point Trixie."

...

Eli silently walked to storage door, blaster at the ready. Just as he was about to open the door, it flew open with enormous force, knocking the young Shane down in the process.

"Whaaah!"

The rattling of boxes filled with unknown products could be heard when they were gently put down beside the now fallen boy.

"Eli? No way… Eli Shane, is that really you?"

The blue haired boy shook his head in a daze, before nodding.

"Yep, it's me alive and well… Okay, kind of well, I guess." He answered and rubbed his head, which had taken the full force of the door.

"Oh man, wait, …here, easy… There you go."

Eli blinked furiously as he was being helped up and now lazily rested half of his weight in the, stronger than he'd previously had thought of, arms of the restaurants' owner.

"Thanks." He quietly said, still leaning onto the older man.

"Well, I did knock you down in the first place. Though, what are you doing here?"

"I, err, food."

"Ah, you're hungry for some pizza, right?" Mario winked and grinned knowingly.

"Yes. Yes I am." The young Shane still looked a bit in awe and had yet to catch up on all the leaning on the man he was doing.

" _Eherm_ , _we_ are hungry, he meant to say of course." Pronto corrected him, completely oblivious of what was happening in front of him.

Trixie and Kord rolled their eyes at the molenoid, having caught up with their leader's behaviour, even if he probably hadn't noticed himself yet.

"Oh, you brought the whole gang! Well, the more the merrier."

"I, Pronto the absolute magnificent of all Slugterra, count for a thousand people. My worthiness goes far beyond that of any… _Ouch!_ … What is it with you and hitting the amazing Pronto on his fabulous head?!"

"Well, let's make you lady and gents some pizza, right Ricochet?" The slug nodded happily and determined.

...

"Erm, not complaining here, but if you can breath again, Eli, then do you mind if…"

The young Shane practically made a somersault and dashed to the other side of the restaurant. "Sorry…" he mumbled, feeling his heartbeat rise up with abnormal speed.

"Ha, ha, it's okay, I get it, just a big fan of the famous pizza man, right?" Mario then joked and loaded his Speedstinger in the spoon.

"Yes." The young Shane spoke, though so softly that no one could have heard him and he dearly hoped no one would notice the colour in his cheeks blossoming brightly.

"Well, why don't you all sit down and check out what pizza you would like to have. I've go to finish this order, before I will take yours."

* * *

As soon as they all sat down, the young Shane let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding.

 _What is wrong with me? Why did I react so, so… err... just so err… oh my I don't even what I did?! Seriously, what the frick is going on with me?!_

Eli nervously shuffled his feet, while clenching the menu tighter and tighter in his fists every second…

 _Riiipp…_

"Oh, wow bro, that's some serious strength you got there, though I must ask, what did that piece of paper do wrong to you?" Kord asked him, eyeing the young Shane curiously.

"Err… It… Well, I… just…" Eli nervously glanced to each of his team members, before giving a forced smile and dropping his head on the table with a loud thud.

"Eli! Are you okay?" Trixie immediately worried, inquired her friend.

"Yep, yes and err… I am just in sheer awe of my own strength these days… It must be the hunger." He then calmly said, behind his mastered poker face.

Even if they didn't fully believe him, seen by the look on their faces, they still let it slide and Eli gratefully took the opportunity to hide his fully red face behind a new menu card, handed out by the cave troll.

 _Holy Elementals, I've got to relax and focus! Just take a deep breath and calm down. Nothing wrong, just weird… oh no…_

It was at that time that he realized the cause of his behaviour…

 _Hormones… Why now? Seriously, why do I even have them… I'm so not ready for this shit._

Eli rolled his eyes at his own drama and decided to pick a pizza. He was still very hungry after all.

...

"So, what can I get you?" Mario, who had suddenly appeared beside their table, asked and gave them one of his brightest smiles ever.

 _Mario looks good…Wait, what?! What the actual holy Elementals of Gangster Slugterra fuck?! …Gangster Slugterra? …That's it, I'm going crazy… Oh no, oh nooo…_

Eli then promptly started to blabber incoherently, waving his hands around with vague gestures.

"Nothing… I erm, mean everything? No, no, _nooo_ , err, I'm going to order pizza. _Piiizza_ yes. No, wait, wait a minute… No, _we_ want to order pizza. Yep, that, … _that's totally_ what I was planning to say." Eli cursed himself immensely for his gibberish.

"Are you okay, Eli?" Mario asked him seriously concerned now and eyed him warily.

" _Yeaaahhsss_ , yes, just yes… Actually no, _noohoo_ , I'm going, okay, _bye_ , …be right back."

...

Within a mere second he had dashed for the door and practically shot himself through it. Once outside he rested his hands on his knees and took a deep breath before literary screaming his frustration out, while stomping his feet on the ground in pure agony.

His mecha walked up to him, gently nudging him in his side, clearly worried. His slugs were also jumping out of his backpack. Burpy who had been asleep inside, now rubbed his tiny hands on his owner's face.

"Sorry." Eli then mumbled and let himself fall down on the steps. His slugs, however, didn't buy any of his fake smiling.

"Hey, hey, guys, easy… I'm okay, just… I'm just confused, okay."

 _"Well, then it must be about a big thing, if_ that _was your reaction."_

* * *

"Mario! Oh wow, you scared me."

The famous trick shooter smiled down at him and went to sit beside the slightly blushing boy.

"Sooo, what was that all about?"

"Err, nothing."

"You sure? I mean that was one hell of a scream, also you run pretty fast… I mean, you kinda threw yourself out of my restaurant, so what's up?"

Eli hid his face in his arms, which were clutching his legs desperately.

"Hey… It's okay… I won't judge…" a large hand was soothingly placed on his back and the young Shane visibly shuddered before slowly leaning into the gentle touch.

"Eli?"

Ever so slow, he turned to face the older man and bit his lips in confusion.

 _Geez, why am I behaving like a crazy love struck… Oh hell no! No, this is not, I repeat NOT love, this is a mere… whatever it is, it's definitely NOT a crush, okay. Now get your shit together Eli and breath, just breath dammit!_

 _..._

"Hey champ, it's okay to, you know, just breath once in a while… I mean… seriously Eli, just breath. _Oh Floppers_ , …hey kid, breath, _now_!" Mario was actually shaking him with his hands.

The young Shane took a gulp of fresh air, not even have noticed how long he had held his breath in terror.

"Holy pepperonis, you scared me to death with that, Eli… Now, seriously just tell me what's going on?"

Ricochet was signalling with Burpy about the situation, also worried for the young man. Burpy told him a bit about the late development of his owner state.

Mario had, by now, cradled the younger man under his arm, offering some warmth in the cold of the night. Eli, felt his cheeks heat up faster than before and averted his gaze hurriedly, too afraid of his own reaction.

...

"Hey, am I perhaps the problem?" Mario then inquired and stared at the blue haired boy tucked under his arm.

"Err…" Eli began, though felt his throat already constricting with fear.

"It's okay, you know, as said before I won't judge…"

Then the young Shane suddenly nodded quietly, still averting his gaze.

"Well, I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable…" The older man said and was about to remove his arm, when the younger one turned to look at him shyly.

"It's just… The past few months have been really tiring and nerve wrecking for me and I've no idea how to handle all these… err…"

"Feelings?"

"Well yeah, I mean, there are so many people bothering me with questions about, you know… my relationship status and I just… I'm not dealing with it very well, I guess. I've already had some serious break downs, which I don't wanna talk about… You are just… I don't know… Nice looking I guess… _Oh crap_ , I said that out loud, didn't I?"

"Hey, easy man, just relax. It's totally okay. I mean, actually, it's quite the complement, having a Shane tell you that you look nice. So, no worries, my friend, and by the way, you certainly are rather fetching yourself." Mario winked and ruffled his hair.

Eli then truly did blush the deepest shade of red, which he quickly hid behind his hands.

"Hey, I mean it, okay. You really _do_ look amazing, Eli…"

* * *

Sly fingers pulled his hair behind his ear, softly tracing the shell of it and another hand carefully lifted his chin to make him look at the famous trick shooter.

"I really did mean all of that, you know. But, let's have some pizza, okay. I know you're starving and maybe after some good meal, you'll feel better, who knows."

The strong hands of Mario pulled him up and from the power of the pull, Eli softly bounced against the other man.

"Careful now, just take your time…"

For the first time, Eli didn't feel like running away screaming in horror when hands where suddenly wrapped around his middle that were gently placed there to stabilize him. Mario was being kind and careful and the young Shane knew then why he'd liked the man so much. He was the first person to show compassion to him and was generally honest with him, showing him understanding and giving him respect and the time he needed to get a grip on his own being…

"Thank you." Eli whispered, still leaning on the man for support.

"It really is okay, just take your time, champ. When you're ready we will go back inside, okay?"

The younger man nodded, not quite ready to let go of the man who held him so lovingly, so protectively.

A total of two minutes had passed before they broke apart. Mario opened the doors, letting Eli walk through first, before entering himself, earning a rather nice view by doing so.

 _Damn! Do all Shanes have such great asses, cause wow, Eli's packing some chic buns there._

Mario mentally smacked himself for thinking such shameless thoughts and cleared his throat.

...

"So, call me when you all know what you want, okay?"

The Shane gang nodded, glad to see their leader having returned all well.

Trixie and Kord eyed the young man intently upon returning though, already curious about what may have happened outside.

"So, you okay again?" Trixie handed him the menu, looking for any information about possible past events on the face of the blue haired boy.

"Oh, erm, yes." Eli nodded curtly and grabbed the menu eagerly.

After looking all the options over, he decided on a pizza deluxe. He was really hungry and he remembered how good the pizzas of Marion actually had been.

Eli then signaled the trick shooter and they all ordered their pizzas.

...

About sixty minutes later, they all sat relaxed, completely full from the amazing meal they'd just had.

"That pizza was absolutely delicious." Trixie sighed, rubbing her content belly.

"Yeah, I'm in pizza heaven." Eli declared.

"Agreed bro, agreed… Wait, what's heaven?" the cave troll asked.

"Oh erm … just another Surface saying." He quickly explained, not wanting to start an endless conversation about all possible faiths and their theories.

"Well whatever, this pizza place is the best." Trixie then exclaimed.

"I, Pronto, greatest of all molenoids, must agree with his friends. This pizza was splendid! It might even be just as great as the great and magnificent Pronto himself."

They all shared a laugh then and when they'd paid for their food, they made their way outside. There however Eli was stopped by Mario, who had dragged him back inside.

* * *

"Hey, I just wanted you to know, that it's absolutely fine if you have a thing for guys. I mean it's not like you can choose what or whom you're attracted to. Also, thanks again, for the compliment. I must say I am generally honoured to have you considering me good looking."

Eli, who by now was starting to curse his cheeks for reddening so much lately, smiled generously at the older man.

"Well, I meant it and I think I should be the one to thank you, actually. Like, seriously, if all people were as nice and chill as you… well that would make my situation a whole lot better."

For a few seconds they could only stare at each other. Not quite knowing what to make of the situation. Not ready yet to make a move or speak again.

It was Mario who eventually broke the silence by slowly making his way to the other and upon arriving, cautiously grabbing the young Shane's waist, while sweetly brushing some blue hairs aside, before asking:

"Is this okay?"

Eli nodded, not able to take his eyes off from the older man.

"Then is it okay if I…"

The younger male cut his sentence off by descending his soft lips upon his own.

Even though the kiss had been nothing more than a sweet peck, it had sent sparks flying through both men's bodies and when the younger one dared to look the older one in the eyes again, their lips found each other again …and again… and again. Until Mario's tongue asked for entrance, making their kiss a lot more intense and longer than their previous ones.

After a good three minutes, they broke apart, both with heavily flushed faces.

"Wow." Mario exclaimed, tracing Eli's lips with his fingers, making the blue haired boy moan.

"Was I … was I your first kiss?"

"Yes." The young Shane admitted, still dazed.

"Well, I gotta say, you've got some great kissing skills there, Eli."

Eli, feeling a bit playful then, laughed:

"Well, you're not too bad yourself, sir."

Laughter filled the restaurant and once again Eli's slugs came out, trying to find out what was going on this time.

"Oh, hey Burpy, don't worry, only good things."

The obviously tired slug went back inside his backpack, the other slugs quickly following him.

"So…"

"I… I have to go, though… thank you. That was everything I could ask for, for my first kiss."

...

Mario walked him to the door.

"Listen Eli, if you agree, I would like to see you more often, if that's okay with you of course."

"Sure. I would like that actually."

"Okay, well I know how to reach you, so… see ya, I guess?"

Eli nodded, hand on the door knob already.

"Wait." Mario turned him around and gave him one final kiss.

With that Eli finally went outside and was immediately met by the questioning faces of his friends.

"Err, is anything wrong?" he asked them.

"No, just wondering…" Trixie began, still eyeing him curiously.

"Wondering what?"

"Oh, err, never mind, let's go home."

"Yeah, Pronto needs his beauty sleep."

And with that they, once again, went home, almost choking on their laughter of the jokes they made of Pronto's so called "beauty sleep".

* * *

 _ **T.b.c.**_

* * *

 **Well, dear people, thank you for reading this and hopefully you have enjoyed it. Sorry if you didn't. Leave a review, I love them XD.**

 **Wishing you all the very best in life!**

 **Huggies!**

 _ **Daphne, who has this sudden craving for pizza...**_


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